She shouldn't be here. But the lead technician had called in sick, and Serena had personally insisted that "someone from the team" ensure the display worked.

A hush fell over the crowd near the entrance.

Julian walked in.

He wore a tuxedo that fit him like a second skin. He looked like a king. And on his arm was Serena, wearing a silver gown that shimmered like liquid mercury.

"Mr. Sterling! Is it true? Are the engagement rumors true?" a reporter shouted.

Julian didn't answer. He just kept walking, his face an unreadable mask.

Then, the crowd parted for the next arrival.

Harper Kensington strode in, wearing a dress made of safety pins and red velvet. Holding her hand was Leo.

Leo wore a tiny, perfectly tailored velvet tuxedo. He looked bored. He looked aristocratic. He looked exactly like a miniature Julian.

A collective gasp went through the press line.

"Who is that child?"

"Is that a Kensington?"

Julian stopped. He turned around.

His eyes landed on Leo.

Leo stopped chewing his gum. He looked up. He locked eyes with the tall man from the video.

Time seemed to stretch. The noise of the gala faded.

Julian frowned. He took a step toward the boy. There was a pull in his chest, a magnetic resonance he couldn't explain.

"Julian?" Serena tugged on his arm. "The Senator is waiting."

Julian blinked, breaking the trance. "Who is that?"

"That's Harper's nephew," Serena said quickly, her voice tight. "Leo. Adrian's... ward."

"He looks..." Julian trailed off.

Elara, watching from the shadows, felt her knees give out. She grabbed the pillar for support. Please don't see me. Please don't put it together.

A drunk board member stumbled past Elara's pillar. He stopped, squinting at her.

"Well, well," he slurred loudly. "If it isn't the runaway bride. Working the help staff now?"

Heads turned.

Elara flushed crimson. "I'm working, Mr. Henderson."

"Get me a scotch, sweetheart," he laughed.

Serena appeared, seemingly out of nowhere. "Oh, Elara. How embarrassing. Did you need extra cash that badly? You could have just asked."

People were staring. Whispering.

"She's the one who trapped him, right?"

"Look at her. Pathetic."

Elara wanted to dissolve into the floor.

Then, a hand gripped her elbow. Firm. Possessive.

She looked up into Julian's furious face.

He didn't look at her. He looked at the board member. "Get out."

"Mr. Sterling, I was just-"

"Get out. You're fired from the board. Effective immediately."

The room went silent.

Julian didn't make a scene. He leaned down, whispering something into his head of security's ear. The guards immediately moved to flank the drunk man.

"Escort Mr. Henderson out," Julian commanded quietly.

Then, he turned to Elara. "Come with me," he said, his voice low and dangerous. "Now."

He didn't drag her. He simply walked toward the terrace doors, knowing she had no choice but to follow or cause a spectacle.

---

"I'm fine," Elara said, her teeth chattering.

"Shut up," he said, buttoning the jacket around her neck. His fingers brushed her throat. His touch was gentle, at odds with his angry tone. "Why do you let them talk to you like that?"

"I don't have the power to stop them, Julian. You do."

"I just fired a man for you."

"You made a scene. Now they'll hate me more."

Julian leaned against the stone balustrade, looking out at the city lights. "I don't care what they think."

"You care what the shareholders think."

He turned to her. "What is going on, Elara? The library. The apartment. And now you're tech support? You have a degree from MIT. Why are you playing the martyr?"

"I'm not playing," she said softly. "I'm surviving."

"Is it Adrian?" he asked, the name coming out like a curse. "Is he the one taking care of you?"

"Adrian is a friend."

"He pays for the boy's school. I saw the records."

Elara's heart slammed against her ribs. "He... helps out. Leo is his nephew."

"His nephew," Julian repeated. He stepped closer. "Why does that boy look at me like he knows me?"

"I don't know," she whispered. She backed up, hitting the stone wall.

Julian placed his hands on the wall on either side of her, trapping her. "You're lying to me. I can see it in your eyes. You used to be a terrible liar."

"People change."

"Not that much." He leaned in. His lips were inches from hers. She could feel his breath. For a second, she thought he was going to kiss her. She wanted him to. God help her, she wanted him to.

The terrace door banged open.

"Julian!" Serena's voice was shrill. "There you are."

Julian didn't move away immediately. He held Elara's gaze for one more agonizing second before pushing himself off the wall.

"What is it, Serena?"

"The police are here," Serena said, a malicious glint in her eye. "They want to talk to your wife."

"What?"

"About corporate espionage," Serena smiled. "It seems someone stole the source code for Nebula's new algorithm. And it was traced to Elara's laptop."

Elara went pale. "That's ridiculous. I designed the encryption protocols myself. If there was a breach, it would have triggered a kernel panic in the mainframe, not a simple trace."

Serena blinked, caught off guard by the technical jargon. "Well, the transfer logs show your IP address."

"IP addresses can be spoofed, Serena. Especially if someone has physical access to the server room. Someone like a board member."

"Are you accusing me?" Serena gasped.

Julian looked from Serena to Elara. He saw Elara's defiance, her intelligence flaring up like a beacon.

"Elara," he said slowly. "Can you prove it wasn't you?"

"If you give me access to the terminal, I can show you the routing path in five minutes."

"We can't do that," Serena interjected quickly. "She's a suspect. Giving her access would compromise the investigation."

Julian stayed silent. He looked at Elara, conflict warring in his eyes. He knew she was brilliant. But he also knew she was desperate. And desperation made people do foolish things.

"Let the police handle it," Julian finally said.

That silence broke her heart more than the accusation.

---

She clicked the link. The photo showed Julian and Serena in a high-end jeweler. Serena was holding up a hand, admiring a massive sapphire ring.

Elara knew that ring. It was the Sterling matriarch's ring. The one Julian's mother had promised to Elara on her deathbed.

"For the woman who finally tames my son," she had said.

Elara threw the phone across the room. It bounced off the cushion and hit the floor.

Leo walked in, holding a juice box. He picked up the phone. He looked at the photo.

"That's an ugly ring," he said flatly.

"It's a family heirloom," Elara choked out.

Leo zoomed in on the photo. "Her finger is too fat for it."

Elara let out a wet, hysterical laugh. She pulled Leo into a hug, burying her face in his small shoulder.

"I need to make a call," she said, wiping her face.

She dialed Adrian.

"I need a lawyer," she said when he picked up. "Serena is framing me."

"I'm on my way," Adrian said. No questions asked.

Thirty minutes later, Adrian's Bentley pulled up downstairs. Elara grabbed her coat.

As she walked out of the building, a black sedan blocked the driveway.

Julian got out. He looked exhausted. He was holding a small velvet box in his hand-the ring box. He had come to explain. He had come to tell her that Serena had just tried it on, that he had taken it back.

But then he saw Adrian.

Adrian was holding the car door open for Elara. He placed a hand on the small of her back-a protective, intimate gesture.

Julian stopped. His hand closed over the velvet box, crushing it.

He saw the way Elara leaned into Adrian. He saw the trust.

Jealousy, hot and toxic, flooded his veins.

He didn't approach them. He got back in his car.

"Call legal," he told his assistant over the phone. "Freeze the operational assets for Nebula's R&D department. Cut off the funding for the project Elara Vance is leading."

"Sir? That will halt development."

"Do it. If she wants to play games with Kensington, let's see how she likes being locked out of her own creation."

Elara's phone buzzed as she got into Adrian's car.

Alert: Administrative Access Revoked. Project 'Starlight' Suspended.

She stared at the message. She looked out the window and saw Julian's car speeding away.

"He didn't just fire me," she whispered. "He killed the project. He's destroying everything I built, Adrian."

Back in the apartment, Leo was alone. He sat at his computer.

"Target: Serena Pembrooke," he muttered.

He began to type. Fast.

---